Combination-faucet.



W. A. FLEMING. GOMBINATION FAUGET.` APPLIOATION Hmm 3.25, 1910.

Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

THE NORRIS PETERS co., WASNINGNN, D. c.

WILLIAM A. FLEMING,

or NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINATION-FAUCET.

Application filed Aprl 25, 1910.

To all whom ti may concern:

Be it known that- I, XVILLIAM A. FLEM- ING, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the county, city,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Combinatio-n-Faucets, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to faucets of the type which connect with. bothhot and cold water supply pipes, and discharge through one outlet` orthrough either o-ne of two or more outlets, water at such approximatetemperature as may be desired by the user. These are known asconbination faucets; and when so constructed that a single operatingdevice` such as a lever handle or wheel, must be used to control andvary the temperature of the flow, it frequently happens that the user isscalded by a ow of very hot water at the first opening and last closingmovement of such Operating device.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved combinationfaucet which will positively prevent any such action of the hot watervalve, or relative action of the two valves` as would permit a flow ofexceedingly hot water except at an int-ernediate point of the actuationof the Operating handle, which intermediate point cannot be reachedwithout the user being able to know that the result will be a flow ofhot water alone.

To these ends, the invention consists in the Construction andcombination of parts substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification,Figure 1, is a front elevation of my improved faucetin one of itsembodiments; Fig. 2, is a plan View, partly in horizontal sectionthrough the mechanism for controlling the opening of the hot and coldwater valves; Fig. 3, is a detail plan view of the principal inenibersof the valve-actuating mechanism, cletached, and parts shown in sectionand other parts broken away; Fig. t, represents a section in line H ofFig. 2, and Fig. 5, is a detail edge View of the cam block.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in allof the views.

The main casting of the attachment comprises a central portion 10 andtwo side portions 11 and 12 for the two valves 13 and 14: the stems 15and 16 of which pass through Specificaton of Letters Patent.

circular in cross-section.

Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

Serial No. '557,568.

guides 17 and have their ends preferably rounded, the two stems beingpreferably in alinement, their rounded ends being on opposite sides ofthe cam actuator hereinafter described. The valves are preferably of awell known type which open against the pressure of the water sup ply.Suitable eouplings for cold and hot water supply pipes are representedat 18 and 19 respectively.

Projecting forwardly from the rear wall of the central chamber, andrigidly connected therewith, is a guide pin 20 which is non- It isllustrated as square. The actuator for the valve stems 15 and 16consists of a block 21 having` a central aperture fitting the pin 20 soas to reciprocate without rotating thereon. The outer end of the 'blockhas a disk 22 engaging an annular interior groove in one end of a sleeve23 in a manner to pernit the block and sleeve to have a relativerotative, but not longitudinal movement. The sleeve 23 is nounted toslide in a bushing 24 projccting from a nut 25 which latter is securedto the outer end of a forwardly projecting tubular extension of theportion 10 of the nain casting. The sleeve 23 is preventecl fromrotating in the bushing 24 by a longitudinal rib 24: of one fitting agroove in the other. The reason for the rotative connection of the block21 and the sleeve 23 is that when assembling the parts the block cannotrotate on the pin 20, but the sleeve must rotate with the bushing andnut. vVhen as sembled, there is no relative rotation of the block andsleeve, but both must slide or reciprocate together. To eifect thisreciprocatory movement, the interior of the sleeve is formed withsteep-pitched screw-threads 26 (see Fig. 3) which are engaged by threads27 of the handle stem 28. Said stem has an annular flange 29 engaging aninternal shoulder in the nut 25 to prevent outward movement; Inwardmovement is preventecl by the handle 30 which is tightly Secured on thestem, or by a hub of the pointer prescntly described. The stem passesthrough a gland 31 Secured in the nut 25, and it is longitudinally boredto enable it to project partly over the square guide pin 20. Then thehandle stem is turned, its threaded portion 27 necessarily causes thesleeve 23 and cam block 21 to reciprocate longitudinally, since neitherof the latter can rotate. To in dicate the position to which the handlesupported by a sleeve 35 should be turned to etfect certain positions ofthe cam block and consequently of the two valves, I may provide apointer 32 the hub 33 -ot' which is rigidly secured on the handle stem.The pointer co-acts with certain words or indicia borne by a plate 34,

on the forward eX- tension ot the casting 10, which words or indiciaare, preferably, Shut, Hot lVarm, Cold, Shut.

I will now descrbe how the cam block 21 efi ects the desired control ofthe two valves.

lVhen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, both valves areclosed, and the pointer would be opposite the word Shut at the left. Theact of turning the handle so as to carry the pointer to the word Hotresults in sliding the cam block forward, or in the direction of thearrow w in Fig. 3. Instantly the small rise a of the cam block actuatesthe sten 15 so that the cold Water valve is opened a little before, orat the same time as, the hot water valve, each' to a relatively small.degree, thus positively ayoiding any liability of at first getting hotwater only. Further movenent, and by the time the pointer reaches theword Hot, adepression behind the rise (b permits the valve 13 to almostor entirely close, but on the opposite side of the block, a considerablyhigher cam portion of the block has pushed the stem 16 out so as to openthe valve 14 sufliciently to permit as complete a flow as is usuallydesired for hot water alone since too' great a flow of hot water isliable to cause objectionable spat tering. Continued movement opens thehot water valvc wider, but also opens the cold water valve until WVarmis reached. Next, the hot. water valve begins to close. the cold watervalve remaining open, and finally the latter closes when the pointerreaches Shut at the right. On the return movement, of course the coldwater valve only is opened at first, and the end of the return movementcauses a mixture of cold with hot water, owing to the small rise a.consequently, no matter which Shut position is occupied the first flowot water cannot be hot, and the latter part of the closing movementcannot result in a flow of hot water. And whatever intermediate point isdesired, it can be reached quickly.

To avttain the result stated it is essential that the cam block or valveactuator shall be irregular in shape, so that the movements of one valveshall be controlled ditferently from the movements of the other valve.As shown, the cold water side of the block has a small cam and a largerone with a depression between them, while the hot water side has but asingle cam and the apex of that one is not opposite the apex of thelarger cam of the cold water side.

The water released by one or both of the valves into the chamber in thecentral portion 10 of the casting may flow therefrom through anypreferred outlet. In Fig. l I illustrate a lower nipple 36 to which anoz- Zle tip may be connected, and an upper nipple 37 to which a showerconnection may be coupled.

Having now described my invention, and specified certain of the ways inwhich itis or may be carried into efi ect, I claim and desre to secureby Letters Patent of the United States l. A combination faucet havingtwo valves opening in opposite directions, their stems beingsubstantially in alinement, a fixed guide between the ends ot' saidstems, a block mounted to slide on said guide, said block having camsurfaces on its side, and a screw capable of rotaton in one or the otherdii rection for reciprocaing said block, substantially as described.

2. ;i combination 'aucet having two valves opening in oppositedirections, their stems being substantially in alinement, a fixed guidebetween the ends of said stems, a block mounted to slide on said guide,said block having two cam surtaces of different sizes on one side andone cam surface on the other side, and means for reciprocating saidblock, substantially as described.

3. A combination taucet having a pair of oppositely opening valvesprovided with stems in alinement, a stationary guide pin between theopposing ends of said stems, a 'am block tted to slide back and t'orthon said pin, an internally threaded sleeve connected with said block, anexternally threaded screw fitting said sleeve, and means for rotatingsaid screw, substantially as described.

4. A combination faucet having a pair of oppositely opening valvesprovided with stems in alinement, an actuator between the opposing endsof said stems, said actuator having a large and a small cam portion onone side and a single cam portion on the

